Study Guide
Test Design and Test Objectives
Field 36: Early Childhood Education
Test Overview
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) and online-proctored test |
|---|---|
| Number of Questions | 100 selected-response questions |
| Time | 2 hours and 30 minutes (does not include 15-minute tutorial) |
| Passing Score | 240 |
Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table below.
Test Objectives
| Subareas | Range of Objectives | Approximate Test Proportions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Child Development and Learning | 01–03 | 24% |
| II | Communication, Language, and Literacy Development | 04–08 | 38% |
| III | Learning in the Content Areas | 09–13 | 38% |
| Total Proportion | 100% | ||
Subarea I–Child Development and Learning
Objective 0001: Understand human growth and development and how to use this understanding to promote learning and development in all domains.
For example:- identifying characteristics, processes, and progressions of typical and atypical cognitive, physical, motor, social, emotional, and language/communicative development
- recognizing ways in which development in any domain (e.g., cognitive, social, language/communicative) may affect development and performance in other domains
- demonstrating knowledge of how specific factors may affect development
- understanding that developmental variations among children may affect learning in given situations
- demonstrating knowledge of the importance of considering children's ages and developmental characteristics when designing and evaluating learning opportunities
- recognizing the role of play in children's development
- recognizing learning opportunities and environments for promoting developmental progress
- recognizing behaviors and factors that affect individual, family, and community health and safety
- demonstrating familiarity with the principles of nutrition
Objective 0002: Understand factors that may affect children's development and learning and use this knowledge to create learning environments that support all children's progress.
For example:- recognizing factors (e.g., biological, social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, physiological, gender, linguistic, environmental, familial, cultural, economic) that may affect children's development and learning
- recognizing the effects of the home environment (e.g., nature of the expectations of parents/guardians, degree of their involvement in a child's education) on children's learning
- recognizing how current and prior learning experiences outside the home (e.g., interactions with caregivers and teachers, prior successes and challenges, peer interactions) may affect children's self-concepts, perceptions, motivation, and attitudes about learning
- recognizing cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity and their significance for child development and learning
- demonstrating awareness of types of exceptionalities and their implications for learning
- understanding how community characteristics (e.g., socioeconomic profile, opportunities for out-of-school educational experiences, availability of community resources) may affect children
Objective 0003: Understand integrated curriculum design that reflects the ways children construct knowledge.
For example:- demonstrating understanding of the holistic nature of children's learning
- demonstrating knowledge of the benefits of integrated curriculum and its role in promoting children's learning
- knowing how to use children's interests and experiences to generate ideas and concepts for investigation and study
- demonstrating knowledge of how to construct integrated learning experiences that reflect learning standards across the curriculum and support children's progress
- applying knowledge of strategies for integrating curriculum in literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and the arts to promote children's learning
Subarea II–Communication, Language, and Literacy Development
Objective 0004: Understand communication and language development in young children.
For example:- demonstrating knowledge of characteristics, processes, and progressions in the development of receptive and expressive language and speech
- demonstrating knowledge of factors that influence children's communication and language development
- demonstrating knowledge of how children convey meaning through nonverbal and verbal communication
- identifying ways to promote children's communication and language development
- identifying ways to promote vocabulary development and the use of vocabulary knowledge in new contexts
- recognizing ways for developing increasingly complex language and vocabulary to express thoughts and feelings, describe experiences, interact with others, and communicate needs
- demonstrating knowledge of methods for motivating children to use oral language to communicate (e.g., telling and retelling stories through play, pictures, illustrations, props, and other materials)
Objective 0005: Understand second-language acquisition and how to facilitate the English language development of young children with diverse linguistic backgrounds.
For example:- recognizing characteristics, processes, and progressions of second-language acquisition in young children
- analyzing factors and issues affecting the learning experiences of children with a home language other than English (e.g., age, prior experiences)
- identifying strategies and techniques for promoting the English language development of children with diverse linguistic backgrounds
- demonstrating knowledge of methods for ensuring that the home language of each child is respected and the natural propensity of all children for acquiring language is fostered
- understanding the importance of collaborating with families to set and accomplish language-learning goals
- recognizing ways to create a language-rich environment that encourages all children to learn to communicate effectively
Objective 0006: Understand the development of concepts about print and how to create a learning environment to promote emergent literacy.
For example:- recognizing characteristics, processes, and progressions of the development of concepts about print (e.g., interest in print, awareness that print carries meaning, book-handling skills, letter recognition)
- understanding the importance of collaborating with families to promote literacy development
- recognizing relationships between young children's emergent literacy and factors such as enjoyment of stories and awareness of environmental print
- identifying strategies and techniques for promoting children's emergent literacy and development of concepts about print
- recognizing methods for promoting children's interaction with print in varied and meaningful contexts
- recognizing the importance of and strategies for creating a print-rich environment
- demonstrating knowledge of strategies for encouraging children's enjoyment of and positive attitudes toward literacy
- demonstrating knowledge of high-quality children's literature (e.g., genres of children's literature, elements of story, equity issues)
Objective 0007: Understand foundations of reading development.
For example:- demonstrating knowledge of factors affecting children's reading development (e.g., teacher modeling, read-alouds, reading practices in the home, enjoyment of reading)
- recognizing strategies for promoting phonological awareness (hearing and discriminating the rhythm and sounds of speech) and phonemic awareness (manipulating the smallest units of speech)
- demonstrating knowledge of phonics skills (association between sounds and written letters), orthographic awareness, semantic and syntactic cueing systems, and other word identification skills (e.g., sight words, high-frequency words)
- identifying ways for promoting vocabulary development and the use of vocabulary knowledge in new contexts
- identifying appropriate strategies for promoting reading fluency
- demonstrating knowledge of literal, inferential, interpretive, and evaluative comprehension skills and strategies for promoting children's development of these skills
- recognizing strategies for facilitating comprehension before, during, and after reading (e.g., predicting, self-monitoring, questioning, rereading, engaging in dialogue, reflecting)
Objective 0008: Understand writing processes and how to create effective learning opportunities for promoting young children's writing skills.
For example:- recognizing the characteristics, processes, and progressions of writing development
- analyzing factors that affect young children's development of writing skills (e.g., access to writing materials, opportunities to write, fine-motor development)
- demonstrating knowledge of strategies for helping children develop and apply writing skills and for promoting children's interest and engagement in writing for different purposes and audiences
- recognizing the reciprocal relationships between children's writing and reading experiences
- understanding factors affecting spelling development (e.g., visual processing, recognizing patterns of speech sounds, word knowledge)
- demonstrating knowledge of methods for supporting children at each stage of writing development
Subarea III–Learning in the Content Areas
Objective 0009: Understand mathematics concepts and skills.
For example:- recognizing, interpreting, and using mathematical terminology, symbols, and representations (e.g., cardinal and ordinal numbers; properties of real numbers; base number systems; fractions, decimals, and percents)
- demonstrating knowledge of number sense and numerical operations
- demonstrating understanding of fundamental concepts of algebra and geometry
- demonstrating understanding of patterns, relations, and functions (e.g., recognizing and analyzing patterns in numbers, shapes, and data; the translation of problem-solving situations into expressions and equations involving variables and unknowns)
- recognizing standard and nonstandard measurement instruments and units
- demonstrating knowledge of procedures for solving problems involving length, area, angles, volume, mass, and temperature
- identifying methods for collection, organization, and analysis of data
- applying mathematical logic and reasoning to analyze and solve problems in real-world contexts
Objective 0010: Understand how to facilitate learning for young children in the area of mathematics.
For example:- recognizing characteristics, processes, and progressions in children's mathematical development, including intuitive and emergent numeracy
- demonstrating knowledge of factors that affect young children's mathematical development
- understanding the importance of collaborating with families to promote children's mathematical development
- recognizing the roles of exploration, active engagement, inquiry, and questioning in building knowledge, language, and concepts related to mathematics
- demonstrating knowledge of learning experiences for promoting understanding of mathematics concepts and acquisition of mathematics skills
- demonstrating knowledge of strategies for encouraging children to develop positive attitudes toward mathematics
- demonstrating knowledge of strategies for encouraging the use of mathematical concepts and skills in everyday life
Objective 0011: Understand science content and inquiry processes and how to facilitate science learning for young children.
For example:- demonstrating knowledge of basic concepts in physical, life, and earth science
- applying knowledge of scientific processes (e.g., observing, hypothesizing, experimenting)
- recognizing the roles of exploration, active engagement, inquiry, and questioning in building knowledge, language, and concepts related to science
- demonstrating knowledge of learning experiences for promoting understanding of science concepts and acquisition of science skills
- demonstrating knowledge of strategies for encouraging children to develop positive attitudes toward science
- demonstrating knowledge of strategies for encouraging the use of science concepts and skills in everyday life
Objective 0012: Understand social studies content and skills and how to facilitate social studies learning.
For example:- demonstrating knowledge of basic concepts in geography, history, civics, and economics
- demonstrating knowledge of social studies skills (e.g., mapping, research)
- recognizing the roles of exploration, active engagement, inquiry, and questioning in building knowledge, language, and concepts related to social studies
- demonstrating knowledge of learning experiences for promoting understanding of social studies concepts and acquisition of social studies skills
- demonstrating knowledge of strategies for encouraging children to develop positive attitudes toward social studies
- identifying strategies for using everyday and current events to promote understanding of social studies concepts
- demonstrating knowledge of how to promote children's use of social studies skills (e.g., conflict resolution, community building) in a variety of settings
Objective 0013: Understand the visual and performing arts and how to facilitate young children's learning in and appreciation of the arts.
For example:- demonstrating knowledge of basic concepts and skills (e.g., creating, appreciating) in visual arts, music, movement, and drama
- recognizing the roles of exploration, active engagement, inquiry, and questioning in building knowledge, language, and concepts related to the arts
- demonstrating knowledge of learning experiences for promoting arts concepts and skills
- demonstrating knowledge of strategies for supporting children's creativity and for encouraging children to develop positive attitudes toward the arts
- demonstrating knowledge of activities and resources for promoting aesthetic appreciation
- recognizing the role of the arts in promoting self-expression, creative thinking, and a healthy self-concept
- recognizing the role of the arts as a way for children to express and understand knowledge and ideas in other curricular areas